I was 13 years old when I first fell head over heels in love with Kate Elliot’s Jaran. I still remember sitting on the floor of my local library one minute, and being transported to another world the next. Over the years, I’ve gone back and read the series again and I still love it as much today as I did then. So it is an absolute privilege and a pleasure for me to welcome Kate Elliott to the Orbit list on both sides of the Atlantic now. (more…)
Phew! September is a busy month — fighting off Zombies, preventing the zombie Apocalypse, you know, the usual. But not to worry. To prep you for the uprising we give you MARRIED WITH ZOMBIES by Jesse Petersen. Yes, run out and buy it now in stores! Before you get eaten!
But in case you’d like to read a bit, we do have a extract for those excited to read. Or you can go ahead and be a fan now. But Jesse also has a contest running on her blog, she’s also running around at the Borders Babel Clash with Mira Grant (Feed). Once you get hooked, the next book, FLIP THIS ZOMBIE will be out in January 2011!
The book is about two unlikely heroes — a couple on the verge of divorce. On their way to marriage counseling, they notice a few odd things: a missing guard, a lack of cars on the freeway, and their counselor ripping out the throat of her previous client.
Now it’s up to David and Sarah to work together, save their marriage — and survive in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.
The Crowded Shadows (UK | US), book two in Celine Kiernan’s Moorehawke trilogy, is officially out in the UK today ( following the US date) and there’s a free extract here. Then in October we’ll 
release The Rebel Prince (UK | US) in both the UK and US, so the author has a packed few months coming up. But despite this, Celine has kindly said she’ll visit our blog over the next few weeks to say a few words about her work, writing fantasy, wolves and other things not necessarily beginning with ‘w’. Her first post was an insight into illustration, Celine being a classical character animator by trade.
Celine told us that a few years ago she had a shoebox filled with the usual myriad rejection slips that all writers collect. Holding down two jobs with two children, she would secretly write at night. But much hard work later she’s now the proud owner of a finished trilogy with some very shiny covers! She’s also accumulated two nominations for the Irish Book awards and a raft of great reviews for The Poison Throne (UK | US), book 1 of the trilogy:
- ‘Marvellous, vivid writing, and storytelling at its absolute best . . . I was utterly engrossed’ Roddy Doyle
- ‘Atmospheric, complex, and intense … this epic starts strong and doesn’t falter one iota’ Publishers Weekly (starred review)
- ‘All the ingredients of an international bestseller: political skulduggery, passion, violence, loyalty and betrayal’ Irish Independent
- ‘Told with great assurance … this is an exciting, fast-paced story’ SFX
- ‘Kiernan will stun you with her debut … sure to captivate’ Romantic Times
- ‘A complex and original story… Kiernan has created a world that fascinates’ Bookgeeks.co.uk
So, with further books hitting shelves internationally over the next few months, we’ll look forward to hearing more from the the author over the next few weeks. Watch this space!
Exciting news!
The Black Prism hit the New York Times Extended List at #23! It will be published on Sunday September 4th and you can find it here (on Sunday).
Mr Shivers, the critically acclaimed horror debut from Robert Jackson Bennett, is released in paperback today. Chronicling one man’s journey through the Depression blighted Texan Dustbowl in search of the mysterious, scarred vagrant who murdered his daughter, the book is a must read for fans of old school horror, literary dystopia or anyone looking for something to knock their socks off this autumn. To celebrate the paperback release of Mr Shivers we have 10 copies of the book to giveaway. (more…)
Celine Kiernan is not only a talented author but also a gifted animator and illustrator — and she has done the most incredible illustration of 
her main protagonist Wynter Moorehawke for us. We have six super-limited edition prints, on cream canvas, to give away to readers. Email orbit@littlebrown.co.uk with your name and address to enter the draw, and get a chance to win this really incredible original artwork!
And if you have any interesting pictures of The Crowded Shadows (UK | US) in the wild to share with us (for example, at your local bookstore or courtesy of your own PhotoShop mash-up parlour) they would be gratefully received at the same email as above.
If you haven’t seen her post, Celine’s description of how she approaches illustrating is fascinating. And the animation of this Wynter drawing taking shape before your eyes in seconds is just amazing. And to see it again, click HERE.
When Orbit asked would I do some limited edition artwork for the UK release of The Crowded Shadows I was more than happy to oblige. I always draw when working on a book. I draw the characters, I draw scenes from the story, sometimes I even do wee comic strips. It’s my way of blowing off steam when writing is stressing me out. So, as you can imagine, I’ve been drawing the Moorehawke characters for years at this stage, and I’ve a pretty clear picture in my head of how they look.
If you’re interested, I thought I might walk you through the process of doing a drawing? (more…)
The Wall of Night quartet is Helen Lowe’s Orbit debut, and we’re so excited to welcome her to the Orbit family that we can’t wait any longer to introduce all of you to this New Zealand author, poet, blogger and radio interviewer with this getting-to-know-Helen-Lowe interview.
1. What’s the best thing about living in New Zealand?
Oh, that is such a hard question, because how do you ever see yourself objectively? But there’s still a lot of open space, compared to other countries I’ve visited, and I really like that—areas where you can drive for miles and not see another person, or a house. But because NZ is long and narrow, even really remote places are never that far away; for example, the location of Edoras, in The Lord of the Rings’ films, wouldn’t be more than a couple of hours drive from Christchurch, where I live. (more…)
Today at io9.com, Orbit Creative Director Lauren Panepinto provides a fine introduction and overview of what makes an unforgettable cover unforgettable, be it for a work of epic fantasy, space opera, urban fantasy or steampunk/cyberpunk.
There are two simple rules for creating an image that won’t be easily forgotten. So if you want to know what they are — head on over and see if you agree, or disagree.
The epic conclusion to Kate Elliott’s Crossroads trilogy (UK|ANZ) is out this month in the UK, in mass market paperback. And it’s out soon in Oct for Australia/New Zealand. To celebrate Kate’s huge achievement — and it must be in the region of 600k carefully chosen words! — there’s a free extract HERE. The author’s prose has been described as “oozing with texture, taste and even aroma” so I’m also giving a taste of the plot to whet the appetite below:
GUARDIANS HAVE RETURNED TO THE HUNDRED TO SPREAD CHAOS AND DESTRUCTION UNDER THE BANNER OF A TWISTED STAR.
Reeve Joss is struggling to defend a country ravaged by the assaults of twin armies. His men now patrol a land of burning villages and homeless refugees as Joss tries to separate traitor from friend. The Reeve’s thoughts are also plagued by the intriguing Zubaidit, pleasure-giver, spy and temple-trained assassin. But Zubaidit is focused on a dangerous mission, her target being warped Guardian Lord Radas. His death would leave the invading militia in chaos, but the old tales tell truly of the Guardians’ immortality – and of the powers they now wield to twist the hearts of men. Joss’s nights are also troubled, disturbed by dreams of Marit. His lost love has returned from death to become a feared Guardian herself, but Marit rejected the corrupt temptations they offered. She now seeks others of her kind, praying some are yet uncontaminated by the blight on the land — and have the will to fight it.”
Plus here are few quotes for the series are HERE to show just what a damn fine read is in store.
Lastly, and very excitingly indeed, get ready to grab a copy of Cold Magic (US | UK | ANZ). Publication is imminent and this is book 1 in Kate Elliott’s superb new fantasy with a touch of steampunk. More on that very soon …
